Cold and Flu Dos and Don'ts: Busting Cold Remedy Myths

What not to do when you have a cold or the flu

MYTH 1: Feed a cold and starve a fever (or vice versa)

What you should do instead: You may have heard at some point that you should feed a cold and starve a fever, or the other way around, but it’s not a good idea to stop eating when you’re sick. Even if you don’t have much of an appetite when you’re sick, you should still try to eat. Your body needs the right nutrients to fight off an infection, so it’s important to eat healthy to get healthy.

Foods that are hydrating and loaded with essential vitamins and antioxidants are the best foods to consume when you’re feeling sick. Fresh fruit contains many important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs, and eating fruit when you’re feeling under the weather can provide a nutrient boost as well as hydration.¹ Try to eat plenty of fresh fruits or vegetables with nutritious properties to feed your body properly instead of starving off an infection.

MYTH 2: Take antibiotics to cure colds and flu

What you should do instead: Taking antibiotics to treat viral infections is highly discouraged because it can lead to antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria change and become able to resist the effects of an antibiotic.² The cold and flu are both caused by viruses, and while antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections, they have no effect on viral infections.  

MYTH 3: Cold weather causes the flu

What you should do instead: It’s important to stay warm and bundled up when you feel unwell, so going out in the cold isn’t the best option when you’re sick. However, cold weather is not a direct cause of the flu. The only way to catch the flu is by being exposed to the influenza virus.³ Because flu season often coincides with cold weather, it’s not unusual to think that cold weather makes you sick. 

MYTH 4: Drinking milk produces more mucus.

What you should do instead: Drinking milk may make your mucus thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be, but it does not help to increase mucus production.⁴ It’s actually a good idea to drink milk or frozen dairy products when you’re sick. Frozen dairy products in particular can help soothe a sore throat and can be an easy way to add calories to your diet when it might be harder to eat.⁴

MYTH 5: The flu vaccine can give you the flu.

What you should do instead: It’s important to get the flu shot each year to protect yourself and prepare for the flu season. Many people are skeptical about receiving a flu shot each year because of the assumption that it can make you sick. Fortunately, the virus in the flu vaccine is inactive and can’t cause an infection.³ Vaccines take time to work, so if you feel sick immediately after receiving the vaccine, you were probably infected with the flu virus prior to getting the shot.

MYTH 6: Sweat it out.

What you should do instead: You may sweat a lot more when you’re sick, which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration can make you feel worse, so it’s important to drink lots of fluids to replenish what you sweat out. To avoid dehydration, steadily sip on hydrating fluids like water, tea, and sports drinks with electrolytes in them.¹

While over-the-counter medicines like Theraflu can help to relieve symptoms, they can’t cure your illness. The best thing to do to recover is to continuously stay hydrated and let your body heal.